Journal box packing



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sept. z2, 1959 Filed April 25. 1958 c. F. JORDAN Erm.

JOURNAL Box PACK1NG 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Char/es E Jordan Char/es L, Faris 1N VEN T0 RS BY un/Muffy 12mm Sept. 22, 1959 c. F. JORDAN ET AL 2,905,509

' JOURNAL Box PACKING Filed April 25, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig. 2

/2 Char/es FI Jordon v v Char/es L. Faris n' 'i INVENTORS BY Mao/35...

/4 d/amy Hmm nited States Patent Fice This invention relates vto railroad rolling stock and pertains more particularly to a packing assembly for use in railway car truck journal boxes, for supplying lubricant to the .journals of truck axles supported therein. In accordance with present practice, the most prominent way of lubricating the journals of truck axles in yrailway cars is to simply stuff the journal boxes with cotton waste with the journal boxes to contain a supply of, lubricant which is soaked up by the cotton waste and in wick-like fashion to be applied to the journal of the truck axle. Although this system is subject to vcertain disadvantages, i't has proved to be the -most practical manner' of maintaining proper lubrication under most circumstances Many other solutions have been proposed, but 'none to our knowledge, -h'as proved bot-h practical and successful. One of the main disadvantages of such a system is the tendency, upon loss of lubricant, for the journal and its associated bearing to become extremely h'ot causing the cotton waste to smolder and. at to catch on fire, such condition being known in the trade as a hot box. This condition is caused by the premature loss of lubricant from the journal box and may be occasioned for several reasons. However,

the r'nost vcornr'non reasons are the loss of lubricant through the dust guard opening of the journal box due to the railway car running or 'standing "on a curve and the loss of lubricant through the dust guard opening of the 'journal box due to the entrance of water, snow, ice 'or the like into the journal box which raises the level of the lubricant and permits the same to flow outwardly of Vthe journal box through the dust guard opening therein.

vThe dust guard openings of journal boxes are conventionally provided with seal elements but it is well known `that these assemblies quickly become worn to such an 'extent as to be ineffective for the purpose of preventing Vthe entrance of water, snow or the like into the journal boit such that a collection of such substance within the 'journal box will raise the level of the lubricant therewith permitting escape of the lubricant through the dust opening; It i's of primary concern in connection with this invention to provide an improved and novel packing assembly for journal boxes of railway cars which -will overcome the inherent disadvantages `of conventional constructions.

Another object of this invention is to provide improvevlents in packing assemblies for the journal boxes of railwayl years wherein provision is rrlade for effectively sealing the lower portion of the dust guard opening thereu against the entry of moisture and the like into the interior of the journal box. j

A further object of this invention is to provide improvements in packing assemblies for journal boxes of railway cars including a tongue member having a trailsfve'rse strip along the inner end `thereof which is adapted to be placed at the inner side of a dust guard opening Vin ,a journalV box to effectively seal against the entrance of ncistii'fe tnereinto through the dust guardY opening and wherein endless roller members 'are associated in folded relationship above the tongue for engagegent with the undersurface of the journal of an associated truck axle and wherein such rolls cooperate with the tongue and strip associated therewith to effectively hold the saine in place to seal against the moisture into the interior of the journal box. p

A further object f this invention is to provide proveniente in devices of the character described incorporating Ia pair of endless r'oll 'elements made of cornpressible, flexible and absorbent material, there being' a pair' of such fol1s',cne disposed within the other and 'cach being of a predetermined length and of n predetermined circumferential extent So as to properly lie, in folded 'elation, within a journal box and with the rolls being of suhieiefn't thickness such that when soaked with lubricant, their combined thickness will effectively engage the upperincst folder the assembly against the undcrsdrface of 'a railway truck axle journal.

Still another object of this invention is to provide improvements i'n packing assemblies for railway car journal boxes including a nested pair of endless rolls or belt formed of flexible, compre'ssible and absorbent material for disposition beneath the journal of a truck axle within a journal box and overlying an elongate tongue rneinber resting upon the bottom of the journal box and having Y'a transverse trip across its 'inner end held in place by 'the rolls and located at 'the dust guard opening of the -which will become subsequently apparent reside in the 'details ci construction 'and operation as more fully here- ;jdeignal box 'and eireeting e seal thereat.

These together with other objects and advantages 'inafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompany-ing drawings foin-ting o port hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure l is an exploded perspective View of the improved packing asse'inbly;

Figure 2 is a vertical section taken through a journal box and villustrating the disposition of the improved packing assembly therewith;

Figure 3 is a vertical section teken substantially along rthe 'plane of Section line 3-3 in Figure y2 illustrating further details of the construction and disposition of the packing `assembly within the journal box; and

Figure 4 i's a horizontal section taken substantially along the lane of section line '4 in Figure 2 and illus- 'trating stil further details of the co'nstruetion.

Referring at this time more particularly to Figure Vl, the improved packing assembly will be seen to consist essentially of an o'uter endless roll or belt indicated generally by vthe reference character 10, an inner -roll assembly indicated generally by the reference character i1 and tongue a'sse'rrlblyindicated generally by the reference character 12. The outer ro-ll 10 is preferably forn'ie'd of felt material characterized by its ability to be compressed and flexed Vand by its absorptivity. As is shown most clearly in Figures 2 and 3, the inner roll 11 is to be inserted or nested within the outer roll -1'0 and is coeXtensive in length therewith so that when the two rolls are folded or attened as shown, they will provide a four 'ply assembly as occasioned by the up'p'er and'lower layers 13 and 14 of the outer roll and the upper and lower layers 15 land 16 of the inner roll; Preferably, the outer roll in actual practice is about 27 inches in circumference whereas the inner roll is approximately inches in circumference, this allowing for the gaps 1,7 and 18 between the folded over ends 19 and 20 of th'einrler-v roll 'and the corresponding folded over ends 21 and 22 of the outer roll. This Aprevents buncliing or interferenee between the two roll members and allows the same to conform more properly to the contours of theV` .in g a saddle bearing 25 and provided at its outer end 'with an access opening 26 provided with a conventional closure 27 and on its inner side with a dust guard opening indicated by the reference character 28. Associated with the dust guard opening 28 is the usual seal 29 which is intended to prevent the entry of foreign material such as water, dirt and the like into the interior of the .journal box. quickly become worn in service and their usefulness is largely destroyed in a relatively short period of time,

However, as is well known, the seals 29 particularly in the lower half thereof due to the nature of the bearing support between the journal box andthe ttruck axle indicated by the reference character 30.

The truck axle 30 includes the usual end ange 31 and the journal portion 32 having, on the inner side thereof, an enlarged shoulder 33 with which the dust guard or seal 29 cooperates.

The tongue assembly 12 consists of an elongate main body portion 34 made of material similar to the outer roll and which main body portion is of such length as to extend substantially from the area of the dust guard opening 28 of the journal box to adjacent the access opening 26 therein and is provided, at its outer end 3S with a llexible hand grip strap 36 forease of manipulation thereof. A sealing strip indicated generally by the reference character 37 is integrally formed with or otherwise rigidly aixed to the inner end of the main body portion 34 of the tongue and extends transversely thereacross. This strip 37 is preferably of semi-circular configuration and the main body portion 34 of the -tongue joins the same along a medial line extending along the vinner face 38 of this strip, leaving portions 39 and 40 above and below the main body portion 34 as can be seen most clearly in Figures l and 2. v

The height of the strip 37 is such 'as-to bring the up per face 41 thereof at approximately the dust guard opening 28 or slightly thereabove, the purpose of which will be presently apparent.

For convenience of manipulating the assembly, the inner roll 11 is provided with a pair of hand grip straps 42 and 43 and it is to be understood that the material from which the inner roll 11 is made is similar to that of the outer roll 1t? and the tongue assembly 12.

In using the device, the tongue assembly 12 is rst inserted into the journal box in the position shown in Figures 2 and 3 with the strip 37 disposed at the exrtreme inner side of the journal box and adjacent the dust guard opening 28 therein. Thereafter, the nested inner and outer rolls 10 and 11 are inserted into posi` tion as shown and it will be noted that the total thiclcness of the assembly is such as to completely iill the vertical space between the bottom of the journal box and the undersurface of the journal 32 of the axle assembly and, consequently, the tongue body 34 is somewhat jammed as indicated by the reference character 50 so as to serve to lockingly hold the strip 37 in position against the inner face 51 of the rear wall 52 of the journal box and in proper position relative tothe dust guard opening 28 therein. It is to be appreciated that after the packing assembly has been saturated with lubricant such as oil, the various plies thereof will swell somewhat to lirmly and positively engage the undersurface of the journal 32. Also, as will be clearly seen in Figure 3, the circumferential lengths of the inner and outer rolls are such as to substantially completely lill the cross-sectional area of the journal box and to thereby prevent rolling or turning or twisting of the assembly while in place and in service.

It is to be noted that the two cylinders or rolls l 10 and 11are entirely independent and separate from each other so that each may be removed or replaced as desired or may be turned, asy for example with the outer roll or cylinder 10, to present new rubbing surfaces against which the journal 32 is to bear and it is also to be noted that this member can easily be turned insideout to present a completely new outer surface for engaging, at various times, the journal 32.

The purpose of the strip 37, and more particularly the disposition of the upper face 41 thereof is to form a continuation of the opening defining the dust guard opening 28 so that upon axial movement of the' axle assembly 30, the shoulder 33 may bear upon and engage such surface 41 to effectively seal the assembly against the entry of foreign matter and more particularly of water which would tend to raise the level of lubricant within the journal box and cause loss thereof outwardly through the dust guard opening 28.

Actual experimentation with this type of lubricator indicates that the entire assembly will weigh in the neighborhood of 2 pounds when dry and will weigh approximately l0 pounds when saturated with oil, thus indicating that approximately one gallon of oil is absorbed by the assembly. This permits the packing assembly to be used, in a service, and operated such as to give the outer cylinder or roll a quarter turn every eighteen months or so while still effectively obtaining a lubricating action onto the journal 32.

.The partial sealing strip 37 in association with the main body portion 34 of the tongue will effectively soak up, if necessary, any water entering the journal box assembly and the strip 37 will also electively soak up any oil which might otherwise tend to run out the dust guard opening 28 when the railway car is standing or running on a curve. The tongue collects sediment and holds water, if any, and acts as a filter for oil as it is lifted to the journal. The partial sealing strip 37 also acts as a tell tale when the journal becomes overheated due to lack of oil, or other causes, as the felt pad touching the journal near the hub will put out a smoke warning that the journal is being overheated.

It is preferred that the rear edge of the strip 37, that is the upper rear edge thereof be slightly rounded so that lateral action of the axle 32 will not contact any square shoulder of this strip. Also, it is to be noted, that the opposite upper ends of this strip 37 are of smaller dimensions than the lowermost body portion of the strip. As a matter of fact, it is preferred that the strip 37 be tapered from its opposite ends for a distance of approximately four inches from those ends toward the lowermost and main central body portion of the strip.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since vnumerous modilications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

l. A lubricating journal box assembly comprising a journal box having a partial bearing in the upper portion thereof, said journal box having opposed side walls on opposite sides of said bearings and extending therebelow and being joined by a bottom wall member, said journal box also having an inner end wall provided with a dust guard opening receiving the journal of a truck axle upon which said bearing is seated, a tongue assembly lying upon said bottom wall including a main body of flexible, absorbent material having a thick strip of material extending transversely across the inner end thereof, said strip being engaged against said inner end wall lto form a partial seal in engagement with said journal, a pair of endless rolls, one disposed within the other, and each `formed ,of absorbent, exible material, said rolls vbeing disposed in flattened condition between said main body portion of the tongue and the undersurface of said journal to anchor said strip in place and being of a thickness to substantially completely ll the space between the tongue and the journal, and said rolls being of such circumferential length as to extend upwardly on opposite sides of said journal.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said tongue member is of greater length than said roll members so as to project outwardly therebeyond.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein the inner 6 roll is of less circumferential extent as compared with the outer roll such as to leave spaces between the opposite folded ends of the inner roll and corresponding ends of the outer roll.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,810,443 Steurs June 16, 1931 10 2,079,734 Ditmore May 11, 1937 2,386,121 Jeffers et al Oct. 2, 1945 

